Style Guide

I completely understand that choosing what to wear for your entire family for photos can feel overwhelming! I’ve compiled some basic styling tips and tricks that will hopefully reduce some of that stress and help you have some fun with the planning of portion of your session! Remember, the ultimate goal with styling your family is to keep everyone feeling comfortable enough to play, snuggle and let their personality shine.

What Photographs Best

For Adults

  • Comfort is KING when it comes to picking your outfits! If you don't feel comfortable, it will definitely show in your photos.

  • Layers like cardigans, jackets, and scarves can add diversity to your gallery

  • Textured fabrics such as linen and knits add depth to your photos

  • Longer dresses or skirts add movement to your images

For Kids

  • Comfortable clothes they can play in and don’t have to continuously adjust - this includes hairstyles and accessories! Pausing photo-taking because we need to keep tweaking the outfit can really take away from the moment and make kids grumpy

  • Try to make sure that pants cover up all of the diaper.

  • For dresses, adding bike shorts or baby bloomers make such a big difference!

In General

  • Small florals, subtle stripes, and plaids work well

  • Limit to one or two patterned outfits per family

  • Try to avoid logos, writing, characters or pictures on clothing

How to Coordinate a Family

The key here is to focus on coordinating - not perfectly matching everyone! We don’t want everyone in the same color and style of clothing, but we DO want everyone in a cohesive color palette. To help with this, follow these guidelines:

  • Pick one outfit to plan everything else around: my vote is centering everything around your outfit, mom!

  • Then, using your outfit as the main reference, try to pick 3-4 colors for most of the other outfits that coordinate or compliment

  • Try to stick to a theme (ex. neutrals, jewel tones, earth tones)

  • Mix in different textures and subtle patterns to add depth to your photos

Color Palette Ideas

Link to Pintererst Style Board 
Color Theory

Color Wheel

Dressing Your Kids

Getting your kids on the same page with what to wear can sometimes be the trickiest part! I currently have a toddler that insists on wearing his favorite Lighting McQueen t-shirt on the daily and a preteen who wants nothing to do with any piece clothing I suggest - so I totally get it! One thing that I’ve found that helps is picking out 2-3 outfits that would work for the session and then letting my kids choose from those options. You could also give them a few options for accessories or personal props (like a favorite lovey or toy) and let them choose one to have in some photos. This gives them a little control which leads to a whole lot of buy-in on their end which will only make for happier kids in your photographs.

Session Specific Tips

In Home Session

  • Stick with lighter, softer tones

  • Avoid bright reds and neon colors that can reflect onto skin

  • Bare feet often often looks the most natural

  • Choose outfits that feel relaxed and true to home life

Outdoor Golden Hour Sessions

  • Warm neutrals and earthy tones glow beautifully

  • Flowy fabrics catch movement nicely

  • Bring layers for cooler evenings

Yard or mixed indoor/outdoor sessions

  • Choose shoes that work on grass and indoors, or keep it barefoot for both

  • Avoid overly formal outfits that feel out of place in the yard

  • Consider one “main” outfit and a quick accessory change instead of full outfit changes